Private A Lutrillian Slip and Slide

[Amaris Tanenat]

Lutrillia.

It was, for all intents and purposes, her homeplanet. She grew up there from the time she was a baby to just a couple years ago. She had a life, jobs, friends, and family. She still did. Amaris just didn't typically come back home - she usually continued to bounce between worlds, content with the nomadic lifestyle.

A large backpack held on her back while she wore brown pants, a red sweater, and a beautifully designed shawl. Ears were perked, and tail seemingly bounced with each step. Indeed, she had just left her old orphanage. Emma May, her foster mother, had welcomed her home with a hug and a meal. They still cared for her, even though she had practically grown up and left.

It was nice. Either way, Amar found herself looking over the horizon at the rising sun. The city moved through the cold, flat tundra. The overlook was at the front of the platform, and with one last sigh, Amaris left as she began to walk towards the street. The platform had been having issues and other problems since she was a teenager. It appeared that nothing had really been done to fix those issues, as the platform seemed to jar to the side.

While it caused her arms to grab a fence, she glanced to the side of yellow tape that warned of not passing. These spots were popping up more and more, likely due to a lack of spare parts coming in. Had anyone fallen into the behemoth machinery that was below? She peered over it for a moment before shivering and stepping back. "Dangerous," she muttered as she pulled her datapad out for a moment.

Avo

 

[Avo]

For all intents and purposes, this was probably one of Lan's least favorite worlds he'd ever visited. While the roaming platform-cities and the wide open plains made for a spectacular view, nearly every inch of the world was writhing with danger. Burrowing, subterranean creatures crept beneath the world's crust, just waiting for a mistake from their prey. Only Felucia or Kashyyyk had rivaled the planet in aggressive, violent fauna. Not to mention, Lutrillia was as empty of water as a church on Tuesday. Yet for all of the downsides the world held, the Jedi was still here on extremely important personal business.

To buy a new ship, that was the end goal.

It was one of the age-old StealthX fighters from long ago, dating back to Skywalker's Jedi Order and the Second Galactic Civil War - and apparently a collector here had one in remarkably decent condition. For what it was worth, Lan figured it would be prudent to check out the thing since he had been traveling through this sector. No doubt the man was lying to him, considering the wear and tear that desert sand does to a machine.

Despite the heat, the Jedi still shivered as the city moved beneath his feet. It hummed and sang sweet songs of turbines, lifts, and traveling people with each gigantic movement.

Now all he had to do was find the seller.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

A quiet ding echoed out from her datapad. Ah, the dude had arrived in the city! Amaris sent a quick message to him along with the coordinates of where to meet. Nerves ran through Amar but also confidence. This could be a game changer for her, in truth. And if she set the whole thing up right, she would have enough money to buy her own ship finally. The biggest issue was luring the guy into said trap, though. And if he fell for it, she could take his credits and anything else he may have on him.

But the biggest issue would be luring him into the actual trap. The outer part of the abandoned building still looked officialish, and mostly like a hangar. But inside, it would have to get a bit sketchy, and going down into the corridor that led to the basement.

Amaris was a bit surprised he fell for it to begin with - why would a Stealth fighter from way back whenever be floating around on a moving platform city on a practically desert planet?

Made her life easier, she assumed. Arriving at the hangar, she frowned a little. It wasn't the best from what she remembered when she set it up a couple weeks ago. A little bit of nerves hit her as she took a deep breath, her tail curling up before releasing back down. It was too late to back-out now. She placed her datapad back into her backpack as she stood, standing on her tippy toes and rolling back on her heels. Just waitin'.

Avo

 

[Avo]

He was "the dude," so to speak. It wasn't hard to pick out a foreigner from the rest of the native populace. From the long cloak, tan tunic, and the natural gait, he stood out like a sore thumb. In contrast, the rest of the denizens here were burly-clad in thicker garments, goggles as well to protect their eyes from the harsh sandstorms that seemed to lash about the planet like an Akk dog tearing across the yard for the deliveryman. Be that as it may, it didn't take much considerable effort to avert his gaze from the wandering, curious eyes of those that he passed by. Blending in was never his forte anyways.

A ping alerted him. Deft fingers produced the small datapad, spilling its contents upon command. The Jedi smiled, the dealer was definitely in town and appeared excited to meet him! Lan absentmindedly patted his pocket for relief, seeking the comforting presence of his credit chip, and it was there - safe and sound, out of sight from any prying eyes. It wasn't a ton of money, granted, but it was enough that he hoped that some sort of bargain could be made. Traders here thrived on haggling, so asking for the sticker price without question was only something a fool would do. And for what it was worth, he hardly considered himself a fool.

Invigorated by the possible successful deal, he added a little pep into his step and made for the coordinates. It was a tucked away portion of the city, on a lower level, which wasn't all that surprising. Soon enough, the small building came into sight and he was stepping inside.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

Amara rubbed her hands together as she moved into the building. Was that a little evil? Maybe it was. After a pause, along with a single ear tilting to the side, she shook her head as she walked through the corridor and made a right into an empty room in the basement level.

She moved over to the middle of the room and crouched, tapping on a pad that then showed a hologram of the ship she was 'scamming' the guy. Perfect, foolproof, right? Right after he walked in, she'd drop the gates around him. The only problem was that she'd manually have to let him in and out but once he gave her the credits... They'd be on their way.

In the meantime, she made sure the instructions were clear to him as she moved to a terminal to the right, along with a few screens. A password allowed her access to rather bad quality security footage, so she could angle her trap right when he entered the room. She squinted towards the monitors as she began to carefully cut the rope enough that it would drop the fence thing.

And there he was! He was dressed differently and was generally bigger than she expected. And wore an interesting pair of clothes. Not bad, she noted, just different than what she usually sees. Time to focus, though. A single second wrong and it'd all be for naught! Amaris took a breath, her tail flicking back and forth behind her as her ears pressed back and downwards.

Avo

 

[Avo]

Whatever evil was waiting for him, none of the alarm bells in his head toned their warning. Danger wasn't on the horizon, his spidey-senses didn't tingle, nor did his hair stand on end. It was just another usual day, hopefully morphing into a great one once he was flying home in a brand new starship. Be that as it may, something was definitely amiss the second he opened the door. It was quiet, almost eerily so - and seemingly devoid of all life.

But things looked disturbed. There was no dust or cobwebs, and the lights above flickered as one of the light bulbs slowly began to die.

Tentatively, the Jedi Master stepped inside of the building. The door closed shut behind yet he didn't turn to test the knob or its lock. Lan simply glanced around, eyes resting upon the various wares that littered what resembled a store of sorts. A pawn store? He didn't know, everything here widely varied in type and function. The floor creaked beneath his footsteps as he curiously stepped forward once more.

"Hello?" His voice came. "I'm here to check out the ship!"

The echo of his voice faded as he caught a glimpse of something glowing in the next room over. Bright blue eyes slid over its thrumming, digital surface with glee. It was the StealthX, albeit in hologram form, displaying all of its beautiful nooks and crannies. Having it on display was well and all, but he wondered where the real thing and the seller were.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

Amaris waited, patiently. Her eyes focused between the video and listening for feet on the corridor. Her body tilted slightly, almost like she was ready to pounce on some prey. It looked like there was some hesitation as he entered the building, which briefly made her worried her plan was going to fail.

She really should've cleaned the place up a bit more... She'd only been planet-side for a few days, though, and really didn't have enough time to fully prepare. Amaris hadn't even really planned for the scheme to unfold the way it did, either.

Either way, she heard his voice in the corridor echo. "Down this way!" She called back out to Avo as her focus returned. She'd have one chance or this would be really awkward. And if the video feeds were showing correctly, there'd be no way to fight him off.

Her blue eyes caught the man step into the room - right under the trap. "Ahhh!" escaped her lips as she slammed the knife down on the rope, a sound of metal ringing as the knife hit. She contorted her face, her excellent hearing picking it up as well. But also the metal banging on the metal flooring made her wince more.

But after a couple seconds, she looked towards where the trap laid. Ears fully perked up as her tail continued to sway back and forth quickly, and she clapped her hands together.

 

[Avo]

As the eerie silence of the storehouse crept closer, Lan pushed his senses outwards. However, a responding voice called from the rear of the empty shop sent a shivering twitch down his spine. His head jerked upright, muscles primed and ready before quickly relaxing as he recognized the voice calling out to him. The seller! His hand came away from his lightsaber, eagerly strolling down the hallway to the unknown voice with glee. Hopefully the real starfigher would be in here, as opposed to a pale imitation in the form of a hologram.

Lan passed the threshold of the doorway with despair. It only took half a second to realize that absolutely nothing laid within this room, other than a large-eared woman shouting as a blade came down onto rope.

Before he knew it, the door snapped shut behind him and the floor opened up into... nothing! The rumbling as the city-walker moved threw him off balance and sent him toppling forward. At least, not before grabbing onto something warm and... furry?

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

She did it! She trapped the guy and now she'd get her own ship and she wouldn't have to deal with public transportation! Her mind raced, quickly, with what it all meant. The green guy stood there, completely shocked. Which... Honestly, surprised her, the more she thought about it.

Her triumph didn't last long, though. The door snapped shut, with made her ears suddenly returned to a downward position as her fur suddenly puffed. The next moment made her blue eyes widened as she saw the the floor suddenly disappear. That wasn't part of the plan!

And even before she could react, felt his hands grab onto her arms and pull her through the hole with him! A barely audible shriek as she went through the whole with him, her eyes widening at the speeders and ships flying underneath the city. Rather suddenly, she made an impulsive decision to practically cling to the stranger. Arms, legs, and even tail wrapped around him as she closed her eyes tightly.

They were going to smash into the ground below and die like in some cartoon or something. Or they'd be so injured, they'd be dead and dinner for the chompers and other creepy monsters that lived on the ground.

Avo

 

[Avo]

Weightlessness came over him almost immediately. Gut sinking to the pit of his stomach, the initial reaction was to gasp in terrified surprise yet something stopped him at first. Oh right, the warm and furry thing that he had managed to latch onto at the last second. Lan's eyes shot upwards, tracing his strong arms as they tightly gripped a cat-girl's arm. Shock lined her expression, only increasing as the full force of his weight and gravity pulled her down atop of him, losing her footing and grip.

Panic rushed through his veins as the cat-girl clambered over him, wringing herself tightly around his frame. She squeezed him so hard that it took the breath out of his lungs, whatever was left from precariously falling to his death. And they plummeted quickly, the intertwined duo hurtling towards the ground at what terminal velocity gravity would allow. His eyes searched quickly, darting from side to side to desperately form an escape plan that didn't result in them perishing against the coarse sand below.

Then he saw it. A long piece of cabling, electronic in nature and looping from the underbelly of the city to one of its long, lumbering appendages. The Jedi Master rallied the Force to his aid in the fraction of a second, willing the cable to his grasp, their weight being supported by a single arm. The other was preoccupied with keeping, whoever this was, wrapped around him.

"Hnnk." Lan grunted as his body tensed, straining with all of the weight he supported. The cable began a pendulum effect, swinging back and forth as they hung beneath the platform-city.

Beneath them, nothing but a vast wasteland of dunes, marred by the gigantic plods of the walker-city.

"We, ugh-" he voice came weakly, he couldn't hold them forever, "We need to get down. Swing! Swing your weight with mine!"

Slowly, he began to shift his abdomen and legs back and forth, sending the pair of them back into that pendulum effect. Each pass began to grow closer and closer to a small outcropping on the lower portion of one of the legs. There, he hoped, they would be safe.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

Her body tingled as her stomach seemed to fly into her throat as they pummeled towards their deaths. This was a horrible, horrible, horrible idea. She'd learned her lesson, for whatever God, Gods, Force, and all. Dying wasn't the worst part - just how they were going to die was the worst part.

Unlike him, she kept her eyes closed tightly as she clung to him. Her skin tingled, causing her mind to somewhat come back - mostly to keep herself from suddenly morphing into a much heavier, much more deadly creature. Her fur was already puffed to its maximum.

She opened one blue eye to see that he had somehow managed to grab a hold of a cable. Impressive, if it wasn't for the fact that they had no way of really getting back up to the actual city. He ordered her to swing her weight with his. Firstly, he probably weighed a lot more than her - he clearly had muscle.

But she wasn't one to fight and she did her move her weight with his - towards what looked like a small outcropping on one of the legs. Better than the desert below, she guessed. They got closer and closer and finally, "Jump?" She said quickly as they were closer than ever.

Avo

 

[Avo]

The compliance from the cat-girl clinging to him was almost immediate. Despite her slim frame, her own swinging gait offered quite a bit of momentum to their hopeful saving grace move. Further and further the pair swung, ever closer to the platform to the walker-platforms leg railing, where safety called out to them like wife awaiting her husband. As they swung, adrenaline seeped into Lan's veins as the Force filled his mind. Concentration, focus, and sheer will coursed through his body as the rhythm set in.

A tentative voice clutching to him asked if they were ready to jump.

"Next pass," he muttered in reply, focusing on holding his grip.

As the cable came around once more, Lan gave one final heave of his gait, releasing his grip. And then they sailed through the air, like a skipping rock tossed at a pond - and with as much grace. Lan fought the urge to yell in panic, holding firm as his arm stretched upwards to snag onto a side of the railing. A second or two passed of them being in open air, before something thankfully came to rest within his grasp.

Thank the Force.

The Jedi Master and his... occupant sat hanging precariously from the small ledge. It was far closer to the ground rather than the rest of the walker-city, threatening to throw them off balance with one more lumbering step. There was no way they could stop here, nor was there any way for them to make it back to safety within the city. The ground sat a mere twenty or thirty feet below them, just high enough to not break his ankles if he dropped down.

"No choice," he grunted, "We have to drop. No way we're getting back to the city."

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

Next pass. She took a deep breath and made sure that her eyes didn't look down. No, if she looked down, she'd freak out and next thing she'd know she'd be freefalling to the desert monster trap below. If they did manage to get to that ledge, they probably could get down to the sand. Or figure a way back up! Ideally.

It felt like eternity and the minute he released his grip - and she felt gravity begin to pull them downward and her stomach rised once more into her throat. Hindsight was 20/20 but she probably could've done more to help but he seemed to know what he was doing. And she felt much more comfortable clinging to him.

Amaris still clinged to Avo 's side, her tail and ears fully puffed out. Her heart pounded at what had just happened, and her blue eyes stared down towards the ground below. She could make the jump, probably.

"Jump?! You want us to..." She glanced to Lan and back to the sand below and then back to Lan once more. "There's all sorts of monster things living in that desert! There's a reason all the cities are giant walkers..." Amaris stated as her voice ran off - clearly knowing he was right. Was she ever, ever going to do a trick like this again? Nope. And really, she could only hope he wouldn't bash her into a billion pieces when they actually had a second to breath.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered as she jumped from the ledge, resigned to her fate of being a monster's dinner. The landing, though, wasn't as planned - her back hit the sand as it poofed up from around her body. The air was knocked out of her, but otherwise she had made it to the ground below.

 

[Avo]

Tension and fatigue had already began to slowly crawl into his muscles, threatening to wrench his grip on the ledge with every passing second. He briefly wondered if this was all some sort of unholy accident, though he distinctly remembered the flash of a knife and the breaking of rope before he dropped from the city itself. It was one hell of a way to make an introduction, and Lan definitely hadn't expected to be sent whirling towards his death on this trip.

Yet here he was - dangling like a ripe apple, ready to fall from the tree.

"Oh," he sighed disdainfully, stealing a glance towards the ground. "Here we go."

The Jedi prepared his body and mind for what was to come, and then he released. Downwards the pair went, falling with as much grace as a rock. The Force came to his aid once more, channeled practically into his bones as he hit the ground. Confidence was always key in falling, so dear Lan fell with confidence. His feet touched first before tucking under him as he rolled to disperse the inertia.

Then he was standing, and she was flat on her back.

"You okay?" He grimaced upwards at the city, flexing his calves to detect any fractures.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

That didn't go as well as she hoped. Pain rippled through her chest as she gasped for air. Hopefully she hadn't fractured any of her ribs... If they were, it was going to make staying alive down here that much harder. They probably had some time before creepy things showed up to make them their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Amaris inhaled after a few seconds of wishing the sand would just eat her already. Her blue eyes glanced over to Avo , who had landed with a little of a roll. He was already standing, seemingly fine. Naturally, that's how it would go, wouldn't it? The evil, terrible attempted thief laying on her back broken while the good guy walked it all off.

She winced as she leaned upwards, her hands running over her legs in some attempts to make sure everything was still attached. Amaris gave a small nod, "We just dropped 30 feet from a moving city into a death trap, pretty good," she said with a weak grin as she stood up.

Her ears twitched back and forth and her tail dashed back and forth, getting the sand off of the furrier parts of her body. She stretched, although her back was sore. Maybe no broken bones, but that fall was definitely going to leave it's mark. "You okay, though?" She asked after a second, one ear tilted upwards while the other tilted backwards.

 

[Avo]

As he rose from his roll, Lan took a brief moment to glance upwards at the lumbering walker-city. Hundreds of stories high, on insanely massive legs that would probably take them hours to scale - providing they had the upper body strength to lift them all the way up. The Jedi Master sighed inwardly and absentmindedly began to brush sand off of his cloak, taking stock of everything he had on him. It wasn't entirely too much. His tunic and cloak, lightsaber, utility belt with random gadgets, and a comlink. Ah! The comlink, he could easily just hail the astromech on his fighter to swoop down and grab them both.

"Yeah, I am fine." He said without even glancing her way. Instead, he snatched the communications device from his belt and brought it to his lips. "Arfour, can you come grab us? I, uh, managed to fall off of the city itself." Lan send an accusatory glance towards the cat-girl, "I'm sending you my coordinates now."

A second passed. And then another. Then a few more.

"Arfour?"

A garbled, static sound was all that came through the other end. He could've sworn he heard an electronic warble, his signature affirmation, but his ears could be playing tricks on him. Didn't seem like anything was getting through to him whatsoever. Rather strange, and highly concerning.

Then he saw it. Far out on the horizon, or what was left of it. Dark, brown, and covering almost the entire landscape behind the city-walker.

A sandstorm.

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

She shook herself off as a last resort to remove the sand that had found its way all over her during her freefall and sudden stop. Amaris pressed her hand into her back, gently as she tried to determine the injury to her body. She'd gotten lucky it wasn't worse, but she knew there would be some nice bruising.

Amar crossed her arms as watched Avo pat himself down and start talking through a comm. Lucky him. She sighed a little as she thought about what they could do to survive until the city made it back to them. It could take a while for the city to circle the planet and return back - and considering the cities were generally hundreds of miles long, it wasn't like they would be able to run and catch the next one that decided to come by.

They needed to find water. And a way to store said water so they could keep moving. It wasn't like they could just hang out for a while. They'd probably be safer if they went in the opposite direction of the city - the noise tended to attract the underdwellers. And once they were a few miles ahead, they could probably actually rest... Maybe.

But, maybe he could reach someone and they'd be fine.

She clapped her hands together with a smile as one leg moved into the air slightly at his accusatory glance. Yes, she may have deserved it but also... Yeah, she had nothing.

No reply from his droid. But she caught it soon - a sandstorm. Her own eyes widened as ears and tail puffed out once more. "Oh no," she muttered as her mind raced. "We're going to die," she stated flatly after a second. "I'm sorry I got you killed," she said after another second. "Maybe find a hole somewhere," she muttered, mostly to herself, as she began to pace back and forth. "Wait it out. Maybe not get eaten." She put a hand on her chin, moving her fingers on it as if she had an imaginary goatee.

 

[Avo]

For the girl, it seemed like all hope was lost the second they'd touched the ground. Extensive research prior to coming here, as well as travel advisories, had warned Lan of an extremely oppressive environment and rather aggressive fauna. The sort of type that liked to each anything with meat, no matter their size or intelligence. Not to mention the fact that they were so violent and aggressive that the nomadic peoples of the world could hardly stay on the ground for very long. Burrowers and their ilk would consume them quickly, simply based off of their movements atop the shifting sands.

The Jedi sighed, his shoulders drooping at the sight of the storm.

"How inconvenient." He mumbled, pulling the hood up on his cloak. Then he gestured for the cat-girl to draw closer to him.

"We're not dead yet. Come, let's get a move on. I don't think we have much time left," he held an arm out to extend the folds of his cloak for her. "If we walk in the opposite direction of the storm, it shouldn't be as bad on our eyes and mouth. Shelter is key to staying alive right now."

For all of the grimness he displayed, speaking calmly always made him feel that much better. Internal and external panic would spell their doom.

"What's your name, by the way?" A grin came, "And why did you make us both fall of that damn city?"

Amaris Tanenat

 

[Amaris Tanenat]

Amaris finally stopped pacing as her eyes watched the city slowly, so slowly begin to disappear into the increasingly closer sandstorm. Who knew how long they had... Minutes? Hours? Maybe if they do get eaten, it'd be quick. Like in those holos where the carnivore just bites their neck and then bleh, dead.

Granted, she could also transform in the worst case scenario. She could also run pretty fast in that form, too. Amaris decided it would be much safer to save it for a much needed escape versus the present.

She heard Avo mumble. Inconvenient. "Dying is inconvenient," she replied seriously. What the cat-girl hadn't expected was for him to motion for her to get under his cloak. A brief hesitation before a little sigh escaped her lips. Legs walked towards him, hopping on the sand until she was next to him and underneath his cloak. Being horrified and depressed by their situation, she pressed against his side while her ears laid flat.

Flat like the ground. "Shelter is going to be... Hard to find," she said quietly as she stared at the flat expanse in any direction. "Maybe... Could be some abandoned mines from before the Lutrillians modernized?" Grasping at straws, perhaps? Either way, she began to move forward when he did.

"Amaris," she said quietly glancing up to him. Her ears puffed at his next question, quickly going fully upright. "Uh... Well, you see... There was a spider and a knife and the knife hit the rope and..." She groaned in misery. "Wasgunnarobyouorsomething," she muttered with lighting speed.

 

[Avo]

His eyes sparkled with mirth as they walked. So she had tried to rob him then? Well, he wasn't going to say it out loud but it was one of the least workable plans he'd ever heard of. She didn't even have the opportunity to snatch his cash before attempting to get rid of him permanently. A quick glance at her already spelled out how ashamed she was, her ears laying flat and her eyes searching the sand beneath them for sympathy. A thin grin laced his face, and a hand came up to gently pat her on the shoulder.

"Better luck next time, though I would cut that out. Forever." He cleared his throat, tugging his hood down. "Many people out there are not as forgiving, and they won't forget it either if you manage to escape."

They walked quickly, moving southwards as fast as they could without running. They'd need their strength for later, and there was no outrunning a sandstorm. Force helping them, they'd hopefully find somewhere safe to hide and wait it out. Slowly, the dunes of sand surrounding them began to kick up their dust in massive swirling torrents. The air became thicker, harder to breathe, dots of sand threatening to get in their eyes.

"Stay close." He mumbled, concentrating entirely on the pair. It was barely noticeable, as if the air pressure had marginally shifted in their favor. A small, invisible sphere shielded them. Its reach only extended to about an arms length, but it was enough to stop the sand from piercing their eyes or being sucked into lungs.

Ever onwards they walked.

Amaris Tanenat